Method of manufacturing playing balls



Feb. 29, 1944. R. F. SMITH METHOD OF MANUFACTURING PLAYING BALLS Filed Aug.' 2, 1941 Patented Feb. 29, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF MANUFACTURING PLAYING BALLS Robert F. Smith, Grand Rapids, Mich, assignor to L. A. Young Company, Grand Rapids, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application! August 2, 1941, semu No. 405,165

6 Claims. (01. 154-18) This invention relates 'to improvements in method of manufacturing playing balls.

The main objects of this invention are:

First, to provide a method of manufacturing playing balls which enables the rapid and economical production of golf balls, for example, of very uniform quality.

Second, to provide a method having these advantages in which the entire ball body is formed of wound strands and a collapsed container employed in practicing the steps of the method.

Further objects pertaining to details and economies of the invention will definitely appear from the description to follow. The invention is defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing I illustrate certain of the steps of my method, no attempt being made to show parts in their relative proportions.

Fig. 1 is a side view of a liquid container used to provide a winding core or center.

Fig. 2 is a side View of the filled container, the filling needle being shown in connection therewith.

Fig. 3 is a view showing the filled container with the filling opening sealed.

Fig. 4 is a side view of the wound winding center, or pellet. 1

Figs. 5 and 6 are sectional views illustrating another step of the method, namely, the draining of the liquid from the winding container.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the collapsed pellet winding and the container.

Fig. 8 is a view of a completely wound and covered ball.

Fig. 9 illustrates modified steps of my invention in which the container is initially perforated.

Fig. 10 illustrates the step of filling the container of Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 illustrates a further step in which the closure tape for the perforations is partially removed. I

Fig. 12 is a sectional view illustrating a wound pellet prior to the thawing step.

In the manufacture of golf balls it has been common practice to provide rubber spheres or so-callecl liquid centers comprising containers filled with liquid and composition centers also commonly in the form of containers filled with a composition. These centers or cores are commonly rendered solid by freezing and. the rubber strands or threads are wound thereon under tension, the cores or centers constituting the center of the finished ball.

My present method is designed to enable the efllcient and economical manufacture of golf balls in which substantially the entire body of the ball is formed of wound rubber thread, the container of the winding pellet or center being collapsed centrally within the winding.

In the practice of my'method I provide spherical rubber containers I of suitable dimension and stock, and these are filled with a fluid which will be rendered solid by freezing, water having been found suitable. This filling may be introduced by means of a hollowneedle 2 as indicatedin Fig. 2. The container may be very substantially expanded during the filling operation, but I have not attempted to illustrate that. After the container is filled the filling hole, indicated at 3, is sealed as by means of a tape 4, and the filled container frozen solid. This frozen pellet or winding element is then wound with rubber strands 5 to provide a layer of substantial thickness around the frozen winding pellet, this winding of the strands 5 being under substantial tension. After this winding the liquid is thawed or liquefied and drained from the container as by inserting a plurality of hollow needles 6. When these needles are inserted the contraction of the rubber strands forces the liquid from the container and the container collapses as indicated at I in Fig. 6 to the final position indicated at 8 in Fig. 7. a

After the liquid has completely escaped the resulting Wound center is placed within awinding machine and wound to the desired dimension, and the cover 9 may then be applied in the usual or any desired manner.

In the modification of the method shown in Fig. 9 the container I0 is formed with a plurality of holes II which are closed by tapes or closures 12. The container is then filled as by the needle 2,

the contents frozen, and the closure tapes I2 removed. While still frozen the winding pellet thus provided is placed in a winding machine and wound with the strands l3 indicated in Fig. 4 to the desired dimension. Then the frozen liquid is thawed or liquefied, allowing the container wall to collapse under the stress of the tension winding as shown in Fig. 7. By this method I am able to produce so-called coreless golf balls, that is, balls without the usual molded centers or liquid or composition centers, the balls being composed entirely of the wound strands plus the collapsed container which is centrally located within the strands.

Among the advantages of my invention are the rapid and economical production of golf balls having the characteristics described and the use in practicing the method of winding machines of types now extensively used, also the filling de- Having thus described my invention What I claim as new and desire to secure by LettersPatent is:

1. In the manufacture of playing balls, the method which comprises forming a spherical rubber container with a plurality of holes in the wall thereof, covering said holes with removable tape, filling the container with liquid, freezingthe enclosed liquid to provide a solid winding pellet, removing the tape, winding rubber strands around this winding pellet under substantial tension to provide a layer of substantial thickness, and liquefying the frozen liquid and permitting the liquid to escape the container and winding and the latter to contract and collapse the container Within the winding forming a substantially spherical body composed of the contracted winding and the collapsed container centrally therein.

2. In the manufacture of playing balls, the method which comprises forming of a collapsible container with a plurality of holes therein, temporarily closing such holes, filling the container with a fluid capable of being solidified by freezing, opening the holes, winding rubber strands under substantial tension upon the winding pellet to provide a layer of wound strands of substantial thickness, and fluidifying the frozen fiuid permitting it to escape from the container and winding and the Winding to contract and collapse the container within the contracted winding.

3. In the manufacture of playing balls, the method which consists of filling a collapsible elastic container having a plurality of temporarily closed holes therein with liquid, freezing to pro-- vide a solid winding element, opening said holes, winding elastic threads under tensionv upon said winding element, liquefying the liquid, and permittlng it to escape from the container and the winding to contract and collapse the container therein and cause the space formerly occupied by the liquid to be taken up by the collapsed container and the tensioned threads.

4. In the manufacture of playing balls, the method which comprises filling a collapsible container provided with admin hole with the drain hole temporarily closed, with a fluid capable of being solidified by freezing, freezing the filled container providing a solid winding pellet, opening the drain hole, winding rubber strands under substantial tension upon the pellet to provide a layer of wound strands of substantial thickness, and fluidifying the frozen fluid and permitting it to escape from the container and winding and the winding to contract and collapse the container within the contracted winding.

5. In the manufacture of playing balls, the method which comprises filling a spherical rubber container provided with a temporarily closed drain hole with water, freezing the enclosed water to provide a solid Winding pellet, opening the drain hole in the container, winding rubber strands around this winding pellet under substantial tension to provide a layer thereon of substantial thickness, and thawing the ice and permitting it to escape through the drain hole and the winding and the winding to contract and collapse the container centrally within the contracted winding forming a substantially spherical body composed of the contracted winding and the collapsed container centrally therein.

6. In the manufacture of playing balls, the method which comprises filling a spherical rub,- ber container having temporarily closed drain holes with a fluid capable of being rendered solid by freezing, freezing the enclosed fluid to provide a solid winding pellet, opening the drain holes,

winding rubber strands around this winding pel-v let under substantial tension to provide a layer thereon of substantial thickness, and thawing the frozen fluid and draining it from the container and winding permitting the winding to contract and collapse the container within the contracted Winding forming a substantially spherical body composed of the contracted winding and the collapsed container therein.

ROBERT F. SMITH. 

